Folding Basket

ABSTRACT

A collapsible storage device made of plastic comprised of four side pieces and a base is presented. The base comprises six hinged pieces including two identical trapezoid pieces and four identical right triangle pieces. The shorter of the parallel sides of the two trapezoid pieces are hinged together and the right triangle pieces are hinged together at their right angles forming two isosceles triangle pieces. Further, the isosceles triangle pieces are hinged to the joined trapezoids fitting in the triangle formed therein and the four side pieces are hinged to the outer sides of the base as well as to each other where they meet.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 USC 119(e) (1) from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/574,732, filed Aug. 8, 2011, of common inventorship, herewith entitled “Folding Basket.”

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not Applicable

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to the field of plastic carrying containers, and more specifically to the field of collapsible plastic baskets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

U.S. Pat. No. 8,181,806 to Hidalgo Vargas describes a collapsible crate whose sides hinge together.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,132,601 to San Chyi Wang which describes a tote bag that can be partitioned or expanded using a zipper.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,388 to Theodore L. Caliguiri which describes a reusable foldable bag and pouch.

U.S. Patent Application 20120057809 which describes a foldable bag with retaining straps.

U.S. Patent Application 2011220444 which describes a collapsible bag that completely closes using a zipper.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,020 to Kuo K. Su describes a folding crate comprising a rectangular upper frame, two end walls, two upper side webs, two lower side webs, a base panel and alternatively, a plurality of casters or supports and a belt. The upper side webs are foldable with respect to the base panel by forming a plurality of tubular lappings on the connecting face. Each pair of juxtaposed lappings is engaged by a pin member.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,331 to Claude F. Bates, III and Duane R. Olsen describes a collapsible basket for carrying side by side grocery bags or the like has a rectangular shaped, vertically extending framework between the lower ends of which are pivotally secured inner end portions with a pair of opposed rectangular bottom panels secured to opposed side panels.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,286 to Claude F. Bates, III and Duane R. Olsen describes a collapsible hand carrier for carrying grocery bags that has a U shaped handle inverted handle member. This patent is similar to U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,331 described above.

None of these prior art references describe the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved reusable and collapsible plastic basket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustrative view showing an open intact plastic basket ready for grocery input.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a slightly folded plastic basket and illustrating the ease of the folding functionality.

FIG. 3 is an illustrative view showing a fully folded plastic bag ready for carrying to the store or storage in home or vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a view of the bottom of the basket showing the direction of folding for collapsing the basket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Millions of Americans visit grocery stores every day. Whether quickly stopping in the local fresh market to purchase organic goods for dinner or spending an afternoon at a busy supercenter stocking up on a week's worth of groceries, grocery stores provide consumers with thousands of food and household items to meet their individual needs. These items typically are packed in plastic grocery bags to be transported home by the consumer. Plastic grocery bags are environmentally hazardous and non-biodegradable. Clogging landfills and making their way into rivers and oceans via waste systems, these bags threaten wildlife and compromise the earth's fragile ecosystem. Many conscientious consumers are opting for reusable grocery bags as a means of transporting groceries from the store, to their car and to the home. Typically manufactured of a woven canvas, plastic or natural fabric material, these reusable green bags offer an environmentally friendly alternative to paper and plastic. These bags are sullied with food particles and liquid items stored within them. If a package of meat leaks, the interior of one's shopping bag is coated in an unsanitary residue, creating a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Because these bags are rather flimsy in design and comprised of synthetic or natural fabric materials, efficiently cleaning the bags by wiping them down or tossing them in the washer causes the bags to lose their structural integrity. Carrying these bags loaded with groceries is challenging as the handles of the bags are difficult to grip and may cut into one's hands.

The present invention shown in the open position in FIG. 1, hereinafter referred to as the Folding Basket, is a specially designed basket configured for easily transporting groceries and other goods. When not in use, as shown in FIG. 3, the Folding Basket collapses flat for compact storage. FIG. 2 shows the basket in a partially-collapsed state illustrating ease of folding.

As seen in FIG. 1, the Folding Basket is a rectangular shaped storage device with longer sides measuring 35.6 cm to 40.6 cm (14 to 16 inches) when fully opened and shorter sides measuring approximately 20.5 cm (10 inches). The height of the basket is designed to be between 20.5 cm (10 inches) and 30.5 cm (12 in) height providing ample storage for goods. Handles, of an inverted U shape, are hinged to each long side and are fitted with a cylindrically-shaped grip for carrying comfort.

As shown in FIG. 4, the base of the Folding Basket comprises six interlocking pieces, two identical trapezoids and four identical right triangles, that are moved upwards to collapse the basket. The end pieces comprise two triangles which fit together at their right angles forming a larger triangle. The two trapezoids fit together on their short sides facing inwards toward the middle of the basket. Each section of the base is hinge attached to the appropriate side wall of the basket and operates independently of each other.

The walls of the basket comprise an open grate or weave, allowing air to flow through the basket. It is envisioned that the walls also be made of a solid sheet of plastic as to hold smaller items that may fall through openings in the sides. These walls are joined to the base of the basket with simple hinges to allow the user to collapse the base. The side walls are hinge connected to one another so the entire unit collapses completely flat. Positioned at the top of the basket's two main side walls are sturdy carrying handles in an inverted U shape. Designed to fold inwards, these handles are hinge connected to the basket and have reinforced sponge like grips for a comfortable and firm hold during use. The Folding Basket is produced in a variety of vibrant colors and neutral hues.

The Foldable Basket is constructed of a heavy duty plastic being strong enough to hold heavier items and also washable and therefore able to be used again and again. Use of the Folding Basket is very simple and straight forward. Upon embarking on a shopping excursion, the shopper tosses one or more Folding Baskets in vehicle to use when transporting groceries. If one is picking up a few items, they utilize the Folding Basket as an alternative to storage baskets offered by grocery stores for customer use. If shopping for a variety of items, one may grab two or more Folding Baskets and place the collapsed basket within their shopping cart as they fill their cart with groceries. At the checkout counter, the shopper opens the Folding Basket by pulling open the side walls. The base pops into place and the store clerk fills the basket with the customer's groceries. The shopper then grasps the Folding Basket by its reinforced handles and heads out to their car. Upon arriving home and unloading all groceries from the Folding Basket, the shopper collapses the plastic basket flat and stores it away until needed again.

Comprised primarily of heavy duty plastic material, the Folding Basket is easily wiped clean with soap and water following use. The Folding Basket is durably constructed and will withstand years of repeated use.

Although this invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited thereto and various modifications which will become apparent to the person of ordinary skill in the art are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 

1. A collapsible storage device made of plastic comprised of four side pieces and a base; said base comprising six hinged pieces including two identical trapezoid pieces and four identical right triangle pieces; wherein the shorter of the parallel sides of the two trapezoid pieces are hinged together; and wherein pairs of the right triangle pieces are hinged together at their right angles forming two isosceles triangle pieces; wherein the isosceles triangle pieces are hinged to the joined trapezoids fitting in the triangle formed therein; and the four side pieces are hinged to the outer sides of the base as well as to each other where they meet.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the base is a rectangle.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein the base measures: between 20.5 (10 inches) and 30.5 cm (12 inches) in width; and 35.6 cm (14 inches) and 40 6 cm (16 inches) in length; and 20.5 cm (10 inches) and 30.5 cm (12 inches) in height
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein the base is a square.
 5. The device of claim 1 wherein handles are hinged to two side walls.
 6. The device of claim 3 wherein identical U shaped handles are fitted to each of the long sides in an inverted manner. 